The Southern Georgia Black Chambers (SGBC), in a landmark public-private partnership with the City of Valdosta, Georgia Power, and Valdosta State University (VSU), celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2026 from its acclaimed Small Business Academy last night. This historic public-private technical residency drew praise from U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, City of Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson, and Georgia Power.

The graduation ceremony, hosted inside the state-of-the-art Health Sciences and Business Administration (HSBA) Auditorium on VSU's North Campus, recognized 25 local business owners who successfully completed a rigorous, CDBG-funded, 11-week technical residency.

Unlike traditional, presentation-based business programs, the SGBC Academy required participants to work "fingertips-to-keyboard" alongside subject matter experts to physically construct audit-proof corporate infrastructure. To earn their formal "Seal of Execution" credentials, graduates had to complete 100% of an audited "Digital Vault" containing active state and federal compliance documentation, synchronized QuickBooks ledgers, capability statements, automated AI-driven workflow engines, and structured employee onboarding systems.

"Six months ago, we launched the 2026 Small Business Academy with a radical premise: that technical execution is the only true strategy for growth," said H. DeWayne Johnson, President/CEO and Board Chairman of the SGBC, during his opening address to a packed auditorium of civic leaders, financial sponsors, and family members. "Tonight, we celebrate a cohort that didn't just attend classes—they built real, bank-ready, and contract-ready assets designed to shift our entire regional economy forward."

A Surprise Message from the U.S. Senate

Highlighting the regional and national significance of the Academy's curriculum, the audience was surprised by a video address from U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who praised the graduates and the Chamber for bridging the historic capital and contracting gaps in rural South Georgia.

"Congratulations and thank you for the work you are doing to create jobs, opportunity, wealth, and advance entrepreneurship in the state of Georgia," Senator Ossoff stated from Washington, D.C. "I understand the importance of ensuring that minority-owned businesses and businesses from every community have an equitable opportunity to compete for federal contracts and federal grants. In my office, you have a seat at the table."

Institutional "Town and Gown" Synergy

The Academy's residency model served as a powerful engine for academic and civic integration. Dr. Guclu Atinc, Dean of VSU's Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration, welcomed the graduates and emphasized the program's vital role in university accreditation.

"Nothing makes me happier than seeing people getting this level of education," Dean Atinc said. "Our accreditation requires us to demonstrate societal impact. Next year, when our international accreditation team arrives, this inaugural graduation of 25 technical leaders will be one of the premier stories I tell in our report."

Representing the municipal anchor of the program, Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson commended the Chamber's stewardship of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, which are passed down to the city via the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Despite recent federal rollbacks reducing Valdosta's overall CDBG allocation, Mayor Matheson affirmed the city's unwavering commitment to funding the Chamber’s technical business programs.

"We stay very committed to the Southern Georgia Black Chamber and this amazing program," Mayor Matheson said, reflecting on his own fast-track SBDC training 21 years ago that allowed him to buy his first radio station. "You build when you can, and you build when you have the capital. Rethinking your business plan by putting it on paper, as these graduates have done, ensures the long-term viability of your enterprise."

Bypassing Pitches: The Technical Grand Audit

In a move designed to mirror modern corporate procurement, the SGBC Executive Team bypassed traditional "pitch competitions" to award its coveted expansion capital. Instead, the final winners were chosen through a blind Technical Audit of their completed Digital Vaults and written Use of Funds proposals.

A total of $3,750 in direct development capital was awarded to the top three performing firms:

• GRAND PRIZE ($2,500 Georgia Power Master Grant): Awarded to Qualynn Wilson, Founder of WassUp Aun-Tea, LLC, a premium bespoke apothecary and wellness firm. Wilson’s proposal was a masterclass in unit economics, outlining how a $500 tooling investment in custom high-density structural foam inserts, paired with $2,000 in inventory, would reduce manual assembly packaging labor by 60%, slash unit production costs by 35%, and expand gross margins by 35%. The capital will immediately fulfill an active, pre-negotiated $15,000 healthcare B2B contract pipeline. Wilson also pledged 10% of future net profits to the Tyler Eugene Lott cancer legacy foundation.

• SECOND PLACE ($750 Chamber Award): Awarded to Trevonne Twitty, Founder of MilBridge, a secure housing marketplace designed to protect young, active-duty military personnel at Moody Air Force Base from rental fraud. Twitty will deploy the $750 directly to fund federally compliant ID.me API integration and developer hours, laying the framework to safely onboard a pilot network of 100 verified military users.

• THIRD PLACE ($500 Chamber Award): Awarded to Chef Tammy Acree, Founder of Chef Acree Heavenly Spice Blend Seasoning LLC. Chef Tammy will utilize the $500 to purchase a semi-automatic commercial powder filling machine and lot-coding tools, transitioning her artisanal spice line from hand-filled limitations into high-speed, state-compliant manufacturing.

In an unexpected announcement to honor the absolute discipline of the top tier of the class, President DeWayne Johnson revealed that all eight top finalists (including Tammy Acree, Catina R. Fletcher, Alicia Hurtt, Dynasty Myles, Laverne Neloms, Dr. Sheila R. Thomas, Trevonne Twitty, and Qualynn Wilson) will receive a 50% discount on any Chamber membership level or renewal of their choice to permanently secure their business networks.

The evening concluded with an invitation to the general public to join the Southern Georgia Black Chambers for their next regional expansion event, the SGBC Juneteenth Legacy and Launch Tour, on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 11:00 AM.

The Southern Georgia Black Chambers, Inc. is the premier advocacy, economic development, and technical education engine for black-owned enterprises across South Georgia. Grounded in the "Year of Execution," the SGBC provides actionable frameworks, access to capital readiness, and public-private procurement pipelines to turn entrepreneurial brilliance into generational economic backbone.